Booking a flight with Qantas involves choosing, from among about ten options, the payment method that best suits your situation: standard credit card, e-wallet, installment plan, or payment with Qantas Points for loyalty program members. Not all of these options are available everywhere: they vary depending on the flight’s country of departure, the details of the reservation, and the time remaining before travel. This guide provides an overview of all the payment methods offered by the airline, answers frequently asked questions about Afterpay, and explains the refund policies you should be aware of before booking.
Official payment methods available on qantas.com
The options displayed during booking vary depending on the flight’s country of departure, the details of the reservation (baggage, insurance, carbon offsets, etc.), and the time remaining before departure. Here is a list of all the payment methods currently available on the airline’s website:
Credit and Debit Cards
Qantas accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express (except in Papua New Guinea), UATP (except in Papua New Guinea), and JCB for bookings made from Australia, China (including Hong Kong), Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. Depending on the card used and the country of departure, a payment processing fee may apply per ticket and per card. A “Pay Per Person” feature also allows each passenger in the same booking to pay their share using their own card.
Apple Pay
For flights departing from Australia, you can pay via Apple Pay using a Visa, Mastercard, or American Express card registered on an Apple device. The same card payment fees may apply.
Book Now, Pay Later
This option allows you to secure a reservation by paying a deposit, then pay the balance closer to your departure date. It is available for certain eligible fares departing from Australia, Canada, France, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, the United Kingdom, or the United States. This is not an installment payment plan like Afterpay, but rather a temporary guarantee of price and availability.
PayID
Available only for flights departing from Australia and for reservations made directly with Qantas, PayID is a free and instant payment method via the customer’s banking app. Payment must be completed within 10 minutes of receiving the unique PayID credentials. PayID is not available if the booking includes a carbon offset or travel insurance.
PayPal
Available for flights departing from Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, PayPal can also be used to pay the cash portion of a ticket paid for with Points Plus Pay. Payment fees may apply, and PayPal is not available for round-the-world tickets, vouchers, or when the booking includes travel insurance.
Qantas Points and Points Plus Pay
Qantas Frequent Flyer members can pay for all or part of their ticket with their points:
Reward Flight (Classic or Classic Plus): The ticket is paid for entirely with points, subject to availability.
Points Plus Pay: A slider on the payment page lets you choose the split between points and cash on virtually all Qantas, Jetstar, and partner airline flights. Fees apply unless you pay in full with points or via a fee-free payment method.
Zip – Qantas’s true installment payment plan
This is Qantas’s official equivalent of Afterpay. Available for flights departing from Australia, Zip allows you to spread out your ticket payments according to a schedule you choose: weekly, biweekly, or monthly. Important to know:
Zip is not available for round-the-world tickets, vouchers, or bookings that include travel insurance or carbon offsets.
If the booking includes another product (such as a hotel), a separate payment method is required for that portion.
Card payment fees may apply depending on the country of departure.
BPAY
Free of charge, BPAY allows you to pay for a booking directly through an Australian bank, but only for flights departing from an Australian airport. However, some banks may charge their own fees.
AliPay
Available only for flights departing from mainland China and for bookings made on the Chinese-language website, AliPay is free and secure.
Flight Credits
A credit issued by Qantas following a cancellation can be used in full or in part for a new reservation by entering the credit reference number and last name in the “Manage My Reservation” section.
Does Qantas offer installment payments (Afterpay)?
Short answer: No, not directly on qantas.com. Contrary to a common misconception circulating on some travel forums, the Australian airline does not list Afterpay as a payment method on its official website for purchasing airline tickets. However, the installment payment solution actually available on qantas.com is called Zip, and it works on a principle very similar to Afterpay.
Afterpay does exist within the Qantas ecosystem, but in two different forms that should not be confused with a standard “pay in 4 installments” option for a traditional airline ticket:
- Through Jetstar (the Qantas Group’s low-cost subsidiary), where Afterpay is accepted for certain flight bookings within Australia, subject to a spending limit and a payment surcharge;
- Through a Qantas Frequent Flyer partnership, which allows Afterpay account holders to earn Qantas points on their everyday purchases (excluding airline tickets) by linking their Afterpay account to their membership number.
Finally, third-party travel agencies such as Alternative Airlines or Webjet offer Afterpay for the purchase of Qantas tickets, but this is a contract between the traveler and the agency, not a service managed directly by Qantas.
Combining multiple payment methods
For online bookings, you can combine:
- Pay Per Person (one card per passenger on the same booking), or Points Plus Pay with another payment method (credit card, AliPay, PayID, PayPal, or Zip).
- At a Qantas travel agency, up to two payment methods per person are accepted: two cards, one card plus points, or one card plus a gift card. This combination is not possible if the reservation includes travel insurance or a carbon offset.
Miles/Points associated with these payment methods
It’s important to distinguish between two completely different ways of earning points:
Qantas Points earned on the flight itself
These depend on your Frequent Flyer status, the class of service, and the fare booked—not on the payment method used. Whether you pay by credit card, PayPal, Zip, PayID, BPAY, or AliPay, the number of points earned on the flight remains the same. The only exception: if you pay for all or part of the ticket with points (Points Plus Pay), the portion paid with points does not earn you new points.
Points earned through the card itself (the real game-changer)
This is where your choice of payment method really matters. If you pay with a credit card that earns points, you’ll also accumulate your card’s points or miles, regardless of the flight. Specifically:
- Qantas co-branded cards: Qantas American Express (Discovery, Ultimate, Qantas Business Rewards), Qantas Money (Premier, Titanium), direct earnings in Qantas Points, often 1 to 2.25 points per dollar depending on the card.
- American Express Membership Rewards cards (Platinum, Gold, Explorer, etc.)—points convertible to Qantas Points at a 1:1 ratio or a variable rate.
Partner bank cards (Australia): ANZ, NAB, Westpac, St. George, CommBank, Bank of Melbourne, Bank SA, HSBC, Bankwest, MyCard; some credit Qantas Points directly, while others do so through their own convertible program.
Payment methods that do not earn any additional points: PayID, BPAY, AliPay, Zip, Book Now Pay Later, and Apple Pay (the latter only earns points if the underlying card does). PayPal only earns points if the account itself is linked to a points-earning card and PayPal passes on the points—which is not guaranteed.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Can I pay for my Qantas ticket with a prepaid card?
A: Yes, prepaid cards are among the accepted payment methods, just like standard debit and credit cards. However, card payment fees may apply depending on the country of departure.
Q: Does Qantas accept Diners Club or Discover cards?
A: No. Qantas has not accepted Diners Club or Discover cards since the end of 2024, whether for online bookings or through a travel agency.
Q: Can I use Apple Pay or Google Pay with my Qantas Money (Qantas Pay) card?